Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-08-28
NEW YORK; LETTER.
opening Of the Dramatic seasoa-aos
Ahead OF stetsoa--Madssos-s square
Gardens -Brosers Bowed 0owa.

NEW YORK, August 81, 1887.
Summing" 10 the visiting OF the
slums Of great city by the biasc or the
curiosity-seeker. The aristocratic prac-
tee is said 10 have been started in Paris
by Louis Napoleon and TO have been
made popular by the Prince Of Wales
in London. No matter what the origin,
the pleasure has been naturalized, and
is regularly enjoyed by the wealthy
men and frequently by the wealthy
women OF the metropolis.
A guide is secured, who usually is a
detective or ex-police officer. His fec
is from sos upward and the expense OF
the voyage, which will run from S20
into the hundreds. A pleas2nter and
more economical way is TO secure some
friend who has Summed before and
who knows whore to go and what to do.
The party dress in plain clothes, leav-
ing behind them oil jewelry. The men
should be provided with stout canes
aud the women with travelling busters
and light rubber shoes. No party can
explore all the slums OF New York in
one visit. There are too many, Their
number being among hundreds. and
the time required 10 see them being al
the slightest estimate PIG hours or nine
consecutive days and nights.
IN CHINATOWN.
A typical trip would begin at 4
O'Clock in the afternoon ut Chatham
Square with n short trip through China.
toNp. The joss-house, grocery, dry
goods store, restaurant, policy shop,
barber. fan-tan (the Monaghan faro
establishment, Masonic hall, and board.
ing-house should all be visited at the
restaurant light lunch is in order.
from Chinatown it is but stones
throw TO Little Italy or Mulberry Bend.
OF interest here are the sour. beer
dives, tho stale-bread and food ped
dlers, the padrone system, the low
Nearolitsn restaurants, and Murderers'
alley, and Mary Blake's.
4 block away is Baxter Bend, in
which there is a Malay colony, very
decent aud very interesting dance
house irequentod by negroes, Hindoos,
and Orientals, Italian dancing cellars, a
Polak bar-room, an outside walking es-
Enlistment, and any number of horTi-
bic ard decaying tenements.
From here the visitor passes through
the famous Five Points. crosses Park
Row. and enters the river front district.
Hdc lie finds the sailors boarding.
Houses, the bucket-shops, and the half
Glme cellars. These last are where a
nights lodgings cost five cents.
POVERTY AND THE BowEaY.
4 cali at the Oak Street statiou-house
and q look at the inmates is the next
,,tp. From here the sightseer pro-
ODDS TO pell, Bayard, and Chrystie
yro,ts, snd sees the hideous forms OF
ro,tty and low vice there prevalent.
- hall hour may then be proftably
1a>.ed it the Oriental Theatre and the
Tuusnian Opera House, and a better
knowledge Of the polyglot nature of
Gotham obtained.
five minutes to see sparring at some
resort On the Bowery. ten minutes TO
the dives OF Hester street. fifteen to n
Crosly-strcet opium Joint, ten TO Harry
HIS celebrated home OF amusements,
ten more to Il queer establishment in
tie vicinity, ten to the Russians of
fi2abeth street, and then off to the
4st side. Here, around Second street,
Second and First avenues, are the head
quarters of the Socialists, Anarchists,
and Communists. Further south is
Cooseiown. or the New Jerusalem. q
city where Hebrew is the vehicle OF
C.iiy speech and further east is the
awful tenement quarter, where the
tenement house cigar-Inakers live and
de. 10 the north is Sebastopol, with
its thieves, murderers, and abandoned
women.
"HELL's KITCHEN"
Back again to the west side. At the
Battery are the cheap boarding houses
of more than forty nationalities. On
Greenwich street are the headquarters
of the Turks and Arneniaus; ON
Thompson and its environs is the
FlhiopiaA colony, and further north
are Battle Row and Hells Kitchen.
Nor should the centre Of Manhattan
Island be overlooked. The sporting
houses os Sixth avenue, the gambling
1eps of the side streets, tue French
Nadame's. and the numerous other
rlaces and palaces dedicated to sin and
gin are all interesting evidences OF the
growth Of American civilization, II mol
of morality, Christianity, or decency'
Long before this route has been I'm
iehed tue traveller hes seen the sun rise
and set several times. At Its end lei
him 20 TO his home, whether he ha'
been away one half Of night or more
Get complete change OF wear and un
dcrwear. and adjourn to the neare'
Turkish bath. From here let what IA
has worn be sent to the nearest clean
ING and securing establishment. L
would be well if there were some sncl
place for the soul ms well as Tor gar
ioents. for if ever man needs com
uiete spiritual renovation 1t Is Just aite
such Summing Gs has been DrieI.
Ake,ched in these lines.
oTrNlNG or TEE DRAMATIC SEASON.
The theatrical season has started
laa New York is so full OF actor
that broadway looks like an extenslo
of the Rialto on Union Square. L 50
~ luncheon in the Gilsey House yestel
day and watched the actors as tue
noyoded about in tens, hundreds, an
aonadrons. There seemed to be n
end Of them. A few wore the CONVEX
t;onal attire of respectable young bus
ness.mep. but the majority OF thei
Tan TO notable and uncouth extremes
tIc matter of hair, check clothes, an
manners-porticularly manners. In
mayity and polish OF the actor
ON tie street would have put
court of diplomatists to the biusl
Occasionally one of the eminent ne
in the profession would drift along, 10
lowed by the eager eyes OF the less,
lights. Tom Keene lounged amisql
by with bis hands in the pockets OF n
sack coat. He was the picture
muddy ard sbounding health, his el
was bright, and there was not the isi ;
est trace Of the tragedian about hin
ON every side were stage notaDies.
TUE FIFTH-AyESUE THEATRE. i.
Most OF them were discussing u
mvstery which is just now SO den
around the Fiith-Ayenue Theatre. ~
horse Las for several years been uua
The management of John Stetson,
uu;oue and shrewd businessman az